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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a run game, but don’t look now. The Buccaneers boast the 10th-best rushing attack in the league, averaging 130.9 yards per game, after finishing last in rushing the previous two seasons.

When Irving was listed on the injury report in Week 8 with a toe injury, the Bucs’ ground game almost came to a halt. The rookie runner persevered through the injuries and led the club in rushing with 44 yards, despite initial concerns about his ability to participate. Irving was once more classified as a non-participant and out of practice on Wednesday. When questioned after practice whether there had been any developments with Irving’s health, head coach Todd Bowles stated that the pattern of Irving skipping practice early in the week will probably continue for the remainder of the season.

Bowles stated, “Bucky [Irving] will be the same as last week.” “He will most likely practice at the end of the week, but this issue will likely plague him throughout the entire year.”

Despite his impressive rookie rusher performance, Irving still needs significant reps as he develops in his role throughout the course of the season. When questioned about the challenges of not having the breakout running back, offensive coordinator Liam Coen was open about how difficult it was to plan games and get ready for opponents.

Coen remarked, “It’s challenging, for sure,” “Am I able to trust him? Even if he comes in here at five every day to complete his tasks, he is still a novice who requires repetitions, muscle memory, and the way we do things. Your track, your read, everything counts. Being unable to have him has therefore been rather difficult, and it’s not just for some of the “21” [personnel] stuff; it’s more for the standard offense. Since he isn’t achieving those repetitions, [it is] undoubtedly difficult. Although I wouldn’t say it’s simple, he has been making an effort to do the required actions to ensure he is ahead of the game plan.

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Coen has set up secondary walkthroughs with the squad to try to get Irving up to speed before game day in order to accommodate his injury.

“That’s what we did last week before our Saturday practice in there,” stated Coen. “Before that, as a unit, we had another walkthrough, and it was actually a Bucky walkthrough. We will therefore need to keep doing it in order to bring him up to speed.”

The Bucs will need to figure out how to keep Irving active in practice and cautiously get him reps as long as he is dealing with his toe issue, which seems to be going to last the entire season. They also need to make sure he doesn’t experience any more setbacks. The difficult task of bringing Irving up to speed will continue, and the coaches will also conduct supplementary walkthroughs. The outcomes in Week 8 were favorable, though, and if the performance against the Chiefs is any better, this won’t be a story in the future.